Attachment device for drinking cup dispensers



Jan. 5, 1932. F. P. SWALLOW ATTACHMENT DEVICE FOR DRINKING CUP DISPENSERS Filed March 24, 1930 Patented Jan. 5, 1932 Y UNITE TA TEES ra'rerrr OFFICE FRANCIS P. SWALLOVLOF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR-ITO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD,-MASSACHUSETTS, -A CORPORATION OF MAINE ATTACHMENT DEVICE non DRINKINGCUI DISPENSERS Application filed March 24, 1930. Serial No. 438,440.

The present invention relates to an attachment device whereby a drinking-cup dispenser may be conveniently mounted and supported upon a water-supply apparatus of a well known type which chills the water by mechanical refrigeration.

The attachment device of the present invention consists essentially of a bracket or equivalent element that is self-attaching to the ventilating louvers provided in the casing of the refrigerating unit, said bracket being adapted to retain and support a supply of drinking-cups in convenient reach of the users of the apparatus. The several features and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of water-supply apparatus of the mechanical refrigeration type, having my inventionapplied thereto. 7 Fig. :2 is an enlarged scale fragmentary view in side elevation, showing the relation of my invention to the ventilatlng louvers of the Water-supply apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a large scale view in horizontal section, showing the invention.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring first to Fig. 1 there is indicated a drinking-water supply-apparatus of a well known type, consisting essentially of a'casing 1 enclosing the motor and compressor, not shown, of the refrigerating mechanism, and a superposed water-chilling unit 2, having in verted thereon a large water bottle 3,the arrangement being such that the water from said bottle, as drawn off through a suitable spigot 4, is chilled to the desired temperature.

The casing 1 in apparatus of this type ordinarily provides for ventilation purposes a series of louvers 5, 5, here sho-wnas arranged vertically, and formed in the usual way by slitting and deflecting the material of said casing. According to my invention the plate or bracket 7. which, as hereinafterde scribed, 1s capableof ready retentlon in the louvers 5, 5:; 'as he're shown, the outer face of plate 7 provides projecting lugs 8, 8 to form an undercut tapered slideway for the reception of matching projections 9, 9 secured to the back walllof cabinet 6, so that the'latter whenlowered into position will be securely held. by its own weight to the plate or bracket 7. This means of attachmentbetween cabinet 6 and-plate 7 forms of itself no part of the present invention, since any convenient meansrof securing these parts together may be employed. The invention resides primarily in the construction of plate or bracket 7 that enablesit, intheabsence of extraneous securing devices ofany sort, to attach itself securely to the casing l, by cooperation with the louversb. 5 ofthe latter.

To this end, the plate 7, as shown in Fig.

2, is made of a width which corresponds substantiallyto the height of the louver openings 5 5, so that certain extensions at the ends of said plate, as hereinafter described, can be received vertically in said openings, with only a slight amount of vertical play. The length of the flat portion of plate 7 as best shown in Fig. 3, corresponds'substantially to the distance between three or more of the louver openings 5, 5. At both ends of this flat portion, the'material of the plate is bent substantially at right angles as shown at 10,10, andthe extremities of these bends 10, 1O are deflected to form tongues 11, 11 extending in the same direction, so as to be receivable in two of the louver openings 5, 5 whenthe plate 7 is'held in a manner to register the said tongues 11, 11 with saidopenings.

In this position of registration, a slight horizontal movement of the plate,'to project the tongues 11,11 through said pair, of louver openings 5, 5,car'ries"a leaf spring 12, secured at one end to the inner side of plate 7, into an intermediate louver opening 5. Said leaf spring 12 has its free end in the form of a hook13, and the-actof registration above described, in conjunction with said horizontal movement, serves to flex the said spring until the book 13 snaps past the edge 14 of louver opening 5 into the position shown by Fig. 3, where said hook operatively engages said edge and prevents horizontal shifting of the plate or bracket 7 such as would withdraw the tongues 11, 11 from the louver openings 5, 5. Any horizontal movement in the other direction is of course prevented by the engagement of the bends 10, 10 with the edges 15, 15 of the louvers, and thus the plate or bracket 7 is securely held on the casing 1 by its above described cooperation with the louver openings of said casing. Accidental displacement or removal of said bracket is impossible; the only way to effect its removal is by means of an instrument inserted between the bracket and the casing from above or from below, to engage the spring 12 and flex the hook 13 thereof outwardly past the edge 14 of louver opening 5".

I claim:

1. A holder of the class described, having end projections extending in the same direction and receivable in two spaced substantially vertical openings of a casing, said projections being ofiset from the plane of said holder, whereby endwise movement of the holder in one direction is prevented, and resilient means carried by said holder and adapted to spring past the edge of an intermediate casing opening when the end projections are so inserted, thereby to prevent endwise movement of the holder in the opposite direction.

2. A holder of the class described, having end portions receivable by horizontal movement in two of a series of substantially vertical casing openings, and a spring projection on said holder having a hooked free end, adapted by said movement to engage with the edge of an intermediate casing opening to lock said holder against horizontal movement in the opposite direction.

3. A holder of the class described for selfattachment to a series of louver openings of a casing or the like, said holder having end projections receivable in two of said openings when the holder is moved endwise in one direction, and having a third projection which is sprung over the edge of an intermediate opening by said endwise movement, thereby to prevent opposite endwise movement of said holder.

4. A holder of the class described for selfattachment to louver openings of a casing or the like, said holder having projections insertible in said openings by substantially endwise movement of said holder, one of said projections adapted to spring past an edge of an opening to prevent opposite endwise movement of said holder.

5. A device of the class described for selfattachment to a series of substantially paral- 

